6/16/07: Lesbians in assault to appeal their terms

Lawyers for four Newark-area lesbians sentenced to prison this week -- one for 11 years -- for assaulting a man who made advances toward them in Greenwich Village said yesterday they will appeal the "unusually harsh" prison terms.

"It was very severe, given the nature of the crime," said Alan Lippel, who represented Patreese Johnson, 19, of Newark, who received the toughest sentence. "The judge seemed to reject everything the defendants said."

Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Edward McLaughlin made it clear at sentencing Thursday that he had no sympathy for the women, ages 19-25, none of whom had a previous record and who claimed self-defense.

The four were among a group of seven lesbians who fought Dwayne Buckle, 29, last summer after he attempted to pick up Johnson in the West Village. Insults were exchanged and the incident quickly escalated to spitting, then kicking and punching.

The jury found that in the midst of the brawl, Johnson pulled a steak knife from her purse and stabbed Buckle once in the stomach. He was hospitalized for five days after surgery for a lacerated liver and stomach. He said he also suffered cuts, bruises and scratches.

All of the women were originally charged with gang assault. The jury dismissed a charge of attempted murder against Johnson, but found her guilty of aggravated assault.

Three of the seven women previously pleaded guilty to attempted assault and were sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation.

Of the other four, Johnson received the harshest sentence, although she did face a maximum of 20 years. She must spend 10 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.

The other three women did not have any weapons, but the judge said they must carry "some responsibility" for the crime.

Renata Hill, 25, of Newark, received an eight-year sentence, with the judge stating she should have known better because she was older than the others. Venice Brown, 19, of Newark, who has a young child, received five years in prison, and Terrain Dandridge, 20, of Orange got 3 years.

McLaughlin's sentencing speech included the children's poem "sticks and stones," the impact of street fighting on New York tourism and the potential for danger in even minor altercations.

The judge bluntly said he didn't believe testimony by Johnson that she carried a knife because she was 4-foot-11 and 95 pounds and came from a dangerous neighborhood.

Johnson did live in one of the most dangerous areas of Newark. She and several of the other defendants were also high school classmates of Sakia Gunn, a lesbian who was stabbed to death on the street in downtown Newark four years ago after she spurned a man who tried to pick her up.